Most boats have a drain hole located at a low point in a boat's hull to allow for the drainage of bilge water when the boat is removed from the water. Draining bilge water has long been viewed as a useful way to prevent damage that standing water can cause to a boat's interior. More recently, draining bilge water has come to be seen as an important way to limit the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) from infested to uninfested bodies of water. Driven by a concern to limit the spread of AIS, some laws have recently been enacted that require the drain plug to be removed from the boat whenever the boat is trailered on a public roadway.
Removing the drain plug when the boat is out of water has, therefore, long been a good idea, but now in some regions such removal is a legal requirement. But removing the drain plug creates challenges for a boat operator. First, a question arises of where the boat operator should store the drain plug when it is not in use. Second, the boat operator must remember to re-install the drain plug when the boat is re-launched to prevent the boat from taking on water, and possibly sinking.
The prior art includes some other boat drain plug storage devices, but these are generally not designed to remind the boat operator to reinstall the boat drain plug before launching the boat. The prior art also includes several devices designed to remind the boat operator to reinstall the drain plug before launching the boat, but these are generally somewhat complicated electrical and mechanical devices that are relatively costly and prone to malfunction.